Tier.



TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED AIIG.28, Isls.

PaIenIed Feb. 11,1919.A

.To all 'whom it may concern:

lle 1t known'that l, THoMAs J. Jamieson', a citizen of the United States, residing at Florin, in the county of Sacramento and State ot' California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tires, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in pneumatic tubes for pneumatic tires and the primary object is to provide a tube of this character which will not become deflated when punctured.

rllie invention also aims to provide a tube which includes a plurality of intercommunieating air containers as differentiated from the single air container found in the ordi nary pneumatic tube, thus making it possilole to retain air in a majority oit' the air containers when one or more et them are punctured or otherwise rendered uniit to retain air.

Another object of the invention is to previde a series of circumferentially spaced air compartments or containers possessing' sucient resiliency to act in the capacity of a pneumatic tube and having a series or" connecting elementsadapted to automatically act to close the ends of two of the tubes adjacent one which becomes detective or punctured. I

A further object of the invention is te provide a device et this character which. consists of comparativelj,T few parts and simple in construction, but durable and well adapted to withstand the rough usage ti which devices of this character are ordi narily subjected.

For a full description et the invention and the advantages and merits thereof retorenre is to be had to the following' description and accompanying,r drawings, in whichlfigure l is a fragmentary sidev elevation partly in section, ot a vWheel showing; my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view et one the air containers.

3 is a detail perspective one of the resilient valve protectors.

Fig. l is an enlarged detail section one of the coupling valve members.

Referring tol the drawings, whereii' is illustrated the preferred torni ot .my ini/ention, in which lilrenunierals of reference indicate corresponding partsl throughout the several views,y the shoe er tir-e il has Specification of Letters Patent.

application lez August 52e, w18. Serial No. 251,802.

mounted therein a plurality of air containl, one of which is snoivn in detail in 2 o' the drawings. Each air container 1s of tubular formation and of comparatively short length, although it will be obvious that the length of each container may be varied under ditierent conditions and a greater or less number oi containers may be provided if found desirable. Each air tcontainer one is adapted to occupy a segmental portion of the space Within the tire and consequently conforms to the curve in the tire as shovrn in Fig. l. ll-aeh air container is also constructed of rubber similar to the material from which the ordinary pneumatic tubes are constructed and consequently is inherently resilient when filled ivithair.y

The end orn each air container is closed bv an end Wall 2 which has a centrally lei-ated relatively small opening 3 to permit intercommunication ot the containers when mounted Within the tire. l tainers must be provided with an ordinarv inlet valve lextending through the rim et the Wheel in the usual manner so that an air pump may be attached to suppl;T air to the containers when the device is te be inflated. interposed between the adjacent ends of tivo et the air containe. s a coupling valve member shown in dei'gail in ilig. l of the n exteriorly screwv threaded is provided at one end with an anlange (l which is to be mounted Within the tube and have the sleeve portion extend, outwardly through the opening in one end ie `tir container. rThis causes one tare 'te engage the end wall Q and order that the riange mav be snuglv ensagjed A' with this Wall. the surtaxe thereof is corragai'ed to form the ridges or rilgs'. lt will be noted by referring to Fig". 4 that the 7 5 is not ser threaded 4thrcuglmut s entire length but the portion eiztendingv an the opening 3 in the end wall f2 of e container is smooth and `nas a comen'ientary Washer f3 met fed tliercl'm which the outer the end Wall an 7s prevu ed wan corrugations 'forming ,1,1 l-f n 1 fm., 1 i

tno ns l so that the t o se of ribs 7 'l' vuil cepe ne to tightly engage the cnn wan when e .flange and Washer are *Y 'iiLru'l 'si vl :i i. .fu-i1" VT bi 'l l nio i. ein, it pannen. vo 1n` tie eher 8 against the end wall oi the air container, retaining nut rf) is provided on @ne of the cone` le screw threaded sleeve 5, this nut being formed with a series of circnml'erentially spaced recesses 10 adapted to receive a wrench or the like whereby the nut may be tightened on the sleeve toV force the washer 8 into engagement with the end wall 'of the air container whereby the latter may be tightly held between the flange and the washer 8. In this manner the end of the air container is tightly connected to one end of the coupling member.

The proximate end of the adjacent air container is connected to a complementary coupling element 11, the portion 12 ot which is extended through the opening in the end of the container from the interior thereof, whereby the flange 13 which is also provided with eorrugations 14 will engage the inner side of the end wall of this air container. This coupling member 11, however, has a relatively small screw threaded stud 1t adapted to be received in a screw threaded ,opening l5 in the-end of the sleeve 5 so that the sleeve 5 which forms one ot' the elements ot the coupling member can be securely connected to the element 11. The portion 12 otv the coupling element 11 is also provided with a complementary washer 1G similar' 'to the washer 8 which coperate with the flange 13 to tightly engage the corresponding end wall Q. This washer 16 is held in operative position by another nut 17 identical with the nut 9 and this nutl 17 is also mounted on the screw threaded portion ot the sleeve 5. In the end of the screw threaded stud 1t a space 18 is provided and this space, together with a space 19 in the sleeve 5, forms a valve re*- ceiving space for a spherical valve 20. A passage-way 21 in each valve member 5 and 11 establishes communication between the interior oi the two adjacent aircontainers through the valve space which receives the valve 20. Each passage-way 21 has a relaf tively large recess portion forming a shoulder against which one end ot a coil spring rests and the opposite ends ot which engage the spherical valve member Since these springs at opposite sides ot the, valve member are oiE equal tension. it will he obvious that. the valve member 2O will be normally held in the center ot' the recess so that air is permitted to pass through the lnissage-ways 2l and into the adjacent end ot the air containers. At diamctriiailly opposite points, however. the valve member 20 is provided with the valve stem adapted to extend into either of the. passage-ways 21 when the valve is moved in either direction. lVlicn' this occurs. the valve also closes the entrance lo the enlarged recesses in which the springs are mounted so that the double valve seats are thereby provided to receive the valve member Q0 according to the direction in which it is moved.

A relatively large flexible rubber dist: 2i? is mounted between the washers 8 and 16 land the nuts 9 and 17, it having a central vopenlng wit-hin which the nuts are arranged.

This washer of the shape shown to advan tage in Fig. 3 of the drawings is tapered tou ward its periphery and acts as a protector for the valve and coupling members when mounted in position..

Assuming that a series of air containers or compartments are connected together as shown in Fig. 1 by the coupling members, 1t will be understood that the valve members 20 are disposed centrally as they are so held by the springs on either side of eachvalve. By attaching an air pump to the inlet valve 4,the air may be supplied yand should he pumped with a slow and even pressure so that the valves 20 remain in their neutral. positions permitting the air to pass through all of the connecting passageways so that each air container will be inflated and placed under the required pressure. When all of the air containers are thus inliated, the device will act in the same manner as an ordinary inner tube and will resiliently support the vehicle mounted upon the wheels with which the invention is used. Now, should any one of the containers be punctured, the air in this particular container will immediately rush out through the container and since the air in the adjacent air containers tends to rush toward the jgmnctured air container, it will be obvious that the corresponding valves 20 will act to close the 'passagenvays to the punctured container, thus holding the air in. all of the other containers. The slight reduction in air pressure will not affect the other air containers and the operator of the vehicle need not stop to make repairs. It will be obvious that several of the air containers may be punctured before the tire will become entirely deflated.

Also. it will be noted that after one or more ot the air containers are punctured, additional air may he supplied to the remaining air containers without making repairs to the` punctured air containers, since the valve members will act to close the ends ot the jnnutnred air container.

The toregoing description and accompan ving drawings have reference to what might. be considered to be the preferred or approved torni ot my invention. I desire it to be nmlewtood that I may make such changesl in the construction and eombination ol' parts. Y materials, dimensions, et cetera. as may prove cxj'iedicnt and fall wil hin the scope ot' the appended claim.

llaving thusl'ully described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Leiters Patent` is:-

pneumatic. tube comprising a series of crcuml'erentially spaced air containers, a coupling member interposed between the proximate ends ol' cach adjacent pair o'f air containers, cach coupling member provided with a `passage-way establishing communiway to an adjacent air container when the 10 cation between the air containers, the cenairis suddenly ejected from the latter.

ter of the passage-Way being enlarged to 1n testimony whereof I aiix my signature provideva valve recess, a spherical valve in presence of two Witnesses.

mounted in the valve recess springs interposed between opposite sides of the valve THOMAS J JAMESON', to normally maintain the latter in the cen- Witnesses:

ter of the said valve space, the said valye be- W. H. EDWARDS,

ing adapted to close onefend of the passage- M. J. DILLMAN, Jr. 

